Nebraska has been awarded a $180,000 federal grant to help complete a landscape habitat conservation plan for the endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle.
The grant was one of several awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that totaled nearly $66 million. They were announced by the secretary of the interior, Ken Salazar.
He says the money will help states work with private landowners, conservation organizations and other entities to protect the habitat of endangered species.
Last week, more than 1,900 acres in Lancaster and Saunders counties were designated critical habitat for the tiger beetle.
The half-inch-long bug is considered one of the rarest insects in the United States. It was listed as endangered in October 2005.
